chevychase

Hey all

I think the Mustang is for sure the best american car ever made...

I saw this list of the top 5 cars made in america (fully) and don't know if i agree with the rest of the list.

anyways what do you guys think? i would DEFINITELY swap out that wrangler..

CCTking

I woul agree with jut about everything. All these cars are pieces that America isnknown for. The jeep belongs on that list because of its origins.

2k7gtcs

Model-T should be on that list.

1999Pony

Loose the jeep and put the model t on the list and it would be alright.

ixamnis

Can't disagree with this.

That's the problem with a short "Best of..." list like this. Too hard to define what "best" means. I think you'd HAVE to include the Model T. No other car changed the industry and had as many innovations as the Model T. And yet, even for its time it was not the "best" car. Others were "better". Just not so influential.

I love the '57 Chevy that made the list, but I don't know how you could say it is "better" than say a brand new Cadillac (other than from a design standpoint).

I'd probably also replace the '53 Vette with the '63-67 Vettes, but that's an issue of personal preference.

Scuba-Matt

1957 Chevy
1953 Chevrolet Corvette
1964 1/2 Ford Mustang
1964 Pontiac GTO
Jeep Wrangler

I would drop the Jeep off the list since its not a car and add the 1955 Thunderbird

AlsCobra

59' Caddy should be on that list.

Scuba-Matt

Or the 1963 Lincoln continental (suicide doors)

AlsCobra

Hell F-150 and Silverado before a jeep.

cdynaco

The Jeep has that "Veteran" record in several wars.

AlsCobra

I guess you're right. Just hate those stupid things.

1999Pony

Me too. I like the classic ones, hate the newer ones.

Pete07GT

Pinto>Jeep

cdynaco

Dreamin' on that one Pete. Were you even driving when Pinto's were around? lol

I will say though, those GC's with the Hemi in them sound dang good driving by.

1999Pony

A hemi in one would be awesome. I think for me its just the people who drive them. Some of them are fine, but a lot of them think a wrangler is all there is for offroad. They are capable in their own right, but I could never own one.

But the classic ones are awesome.

Keper

These all 5 cars are looking awesome and luxury,.
But Ford Mustang Looks more dashing as compared to others,.
Style and look was attractive of all 5 best American cars,.

Scuba-Matt

Yes, back when Whillys was making them.

ranlan

way to hard to pick only 5 for the best of IMHO but I do like all 5 they picked

ixamnis

My list might go something like this:

Ford Model T - The model T changed everything. This is the first afFORDable car. This allowed the common man to have access to the automobile. Society wouldn't be what it is today without the Model T.

32 Ford V8 - First afFORDable performance car. The Ford V8 changed the way we drive; it changed the course of prohibition; and it paved the way for NASCAR. Because of higher performing engines, and the Ford V8 in particular, the American Highway system came to be what it is today.

48 Tucker - While few of these were made (50, to be exact) and none of them every actually sold to the public, a number of innovations were included that shook up the major auto manufacturers of the day. Seat belts, pop-out windshields, and other safety features made their way to other cars because of the Tucker. It also had a turning headlight 50 years before Lexus did.

The ****** Jeep - Saw the American military through WWII and the Korean conflict. It is really the first true SUV in America. (Chevrolet likes to tell people that the Suburban was the first SUV. And in all fairness, the Suburban was introduced in the late '30's. But the Suburban was used more as a commercial truck until the 1980's. It was never widely used as an SUV the way the Jeep was). The Jeep is what we think of when we think of off-roading. It led the way for imitators like the Toyota FJ (originally given the unfortunate name of "Toyota BJ"), the Suzuki Turnover -- I mean Samurai, and others.

53 Corvette - This car changed the way America thinks about sports cars and performance cars. Paved the way for all high performance cars that followed it.

Ford Mustang - The first affordable American Sports car. Unlike the Camaro, the Javelin, the Firebird, and others like it, the Mustang rivaled the Corvette in "mystique" and popularity, if not in actual performance. This car gave Americans access to a true sporty car for the first time, and America hasn't looked back. In 1964, when the Mustang was introduced, most American households were still one-car families. The Mustang (along with the changing culture) helped to make most American families "multi-car" families.


So, this is my top 6 (not top 5). While it has some of the same cars as the "original" top 5, it doesn't have all of them. Notably, the 57 Chevy is not on this list. While the '57 Chevy was a popular car, it really brought nothing to the table in terms of innovation of design or technology. It was an evolution from the 55 and 56 models with bigger tail-fins, but other than that .....